


SINFul Adventures

by Oceanlightmist



Category: RWBY
Genre: OC Team, Snippet Collection, Team SINF
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 8,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25964020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Oceanlightmist/pseuds/Oceanlightmist
Summary: Just a collection of snippets I've been writing for my RWBY OC team. I figured i'd just put them here and add to it as i write bits and pieces, and maybe, someday, i'll turn it into a story.
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Im putting these first two snippets in the same chapter, because they're two differnt versions of the same thing pretty much. The second snippet is the one more consistant with the rest of what i have written.

The first time Rikka saw a sparrow, she thought almost nothing of it. She was so little, and, while she loved looking at birds, she didn't know the difference between the ones she saw, they were all just birds.   
A few days after the hide and seek mess with little Ruby? When she saw a sparrow fly overhead, she thought of how cool it would be if she could fly, too. Then it shifted. If she could turn into a kitten , could she turn into a bird?   
Those first few weeks after discovering her semblence, she hadn't even told anyone what had happened. She'd barely understood what had happened and had wanted to figure it out first. So when Rikka came bursting through the front door excitedly yelling that she'd turned into a bird, that was the first any of the family had heard anything about it.   
Dad did try to work with her In the following weeks, but the thing that still sticks out in her mind, is those few months just before school started, when Uncle Qrow came for a visit.

"Uncle Qrow? Are you sure about this? What if I fall?" Rikka was perched high in a tree, staring down at her uncle, suddenly very uncertain about this sudden 'training session'.

"Yes, I'm sure. And, I'll catch you. Now, come on, semblence time." 

Rikka let out an uncertain sound before closing her eyes, a fledgling bird replacing the child only moments later. 

"Good. Now, start by hopping over to that branch there," Uncle Qrow pointed to a branch that looked just out of her reach, "spread your wings a bit, kid, and you should get there." 

And so Rikka hopped from branch to branch, getting more comfortable with her wings, with the movements involved, for about a week before she learned something that didn't necessarily affect her 'training', but was interesting all the more for it. 

  
"You're really picking this up, kid. Good job." Qrow commented at the end of a training session, as Rikka stood before him a human again. 

"How do you know something much about this?" 

"I've watched birds do this many times, kid, it's just weird having actual teach it. I mean, I never thought I'd be teaching my niece how to fly."

"But you're really good at telling me exactly what to do?"

"Did you forget I'm a teacher? Of course I'm good at telling little brats what to do. Though, you actually listen....ive made enough mistakes to know what to do, anyway." She almost didn't hear the last part, but to say it didn't make her curious would be a lie. 

"Uncle Qrow? What do you mean by that? That you've made enough mistakes to know what to do? Is it why you spent so long watching birds?" Rikka's rapid-fire questions were only broken by an excited gasp before she continued on, "Can *you* turn into a bird, too??"

"Come on, kid, don't you think one of us would have told you by now if that were the case?"

"But... Why else would you have watched birds for so long and why do you sound so sure when trying to help me?"

Uncle Qrow sighed after a minute, "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?" 

Before she could ask what he was talking about, her uncle disappeared on a quick flurry of feathers to be replaced by.. A crow. And then her uncle was standing in front of her again. 

Rikka nearly screamed, she was so excited.  
"I knew it! You are a bird! Is that your semblence too?"

"something like that. Now, enough questions, we need to get back for dinner. And, remember, not a word to anyone, got it?"  
With a nod, Rikka skipped off, Qrow behind her. 

  
Training was easier after that, with Uncle Qrow able to show her what he wanted her to do, and it wasn't much longer before he was having her leap off a branch to actually try flying. And once she'd done that, he was guiding her through changing in midair(which involved climbing far too high in a tree, if you asked Dad).

"Uncle Qrow, I really don't like how high up this is." Rikka called down from the tall tree her Uncle had told her to climb. 

"Well, you need to be pretty high to actually fly, kiddo," Qrow called back, watching her climb higher. "That should be high enough, Rikka. Now, remember, I want you to turn into a bird, and drop down. Spread your wings like we've been practicing when you were hopping branches. You're going to have to flap pretty hard to pull out of the fall, okay? And, don't worry, I'll catch you before you hit the ground."

Rikka glanced at the ground in question for a moment before nodding. She trusted that he would, he'd caught her several times by now, before any serious harm could come to her. 

"Alright, good. Now, drop."

Rikka took a deep breath, then let go of the tree trunk she'd been clinging to, a tiny flurry of feathers as she fell towards the ground at an alarming rate. She panicked for a second before she caught sight of feathers where Uncle Qrow had been standing. Wings, right, she had those. She spread her wings, feeling the wind trying to catch under her. She flapped, trying to pull up as the ground loomed ever closer. She wasn't going to make this, she was going to slam beak-first into the ground, and it was going to hurt. A lot. 

Rikka flapped harder, feeling the air woosh through her feathers, her decent slowing, and she finally, finally managed to even out, inches from the ground, pulling up into the air with a few wingbeats, looking around for her Uncle. There was a caw to her left and Qrow swooped down from a nearby tree, fluttering around her for a moment, before taking off with another caw. 

Rikka followed after him as best she could on still slightly unsteady wings. 

  
Just before dinner found the two birds back in the clearing a little ways from the house, human forms taking shape in flurries of feathers, grins on both their faces. "Good job, kiddo! You just had your first flight."

Rikka was bouncing up and down, absolutely overjoyed at what she'd just done. She rushed over to hug him, "Thank you, Uncle Qrow!!!" 

Uncle Qrow laughed and ruffled her hair. "You don't have to thank me, kiddo. But, I bet you're hungry after that, aren't you? Let's go get some dinner." 

Rikka bounded away towards the house, Qrow following after, a grin still on his face. "I really am proud of you, little sparrow"


	2. Semblance secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the next snippet i wrote, which i actually don't think fits in with my more recent snippets, but i liked this one, so here it is!

Glowing eyes watched from the shadows, transfixed on the retreating form some distance away. The trees ended here, and if she didn't get moving, she'd lose her target. Losing her target after so long spent slinking after him would be a horrible waste that she couldn't afford.

Shadowed muscles tensed, seconds from leaping into the open. It was now, or never.

~~

He was being followed. Whoever it was, they'd been following him for a while now, just managing to evade his sight. The open field he was in now would either scare them off or force them to show themselves, either way, he'd hopefully be rid of their gaze soon.

Something shifted behind him, and he turned to it, weapon ready. Seconds later, as a wolf leapt from the trees towards him, he fired his gun. The shot missed the wolf by barely a centimeter, the animal not deterred. A few more missed shots and the man scoffed, leaping towards the animal with sword raised.

~~

This was not how she thought this would go. This was so much worse. Why did she think it wouldn't go like this? He didn't know! She hadn't told him, of course he'd think he was about to be attacked! She had to get closer first, though. Oh, great, more bullets. She barely dodged the shots, focused on getting to the man. One last bullet dodged, she looked back towards where the man had stood and nearly missed a step. Where?? Where did he go?

Looking up, she was just in time to see the blade of his sword headed straight for her.

~~

He hit the wolf dead on. It wouldn't be a problem anymore. Except...

Except instead of blood as his sword connected, it was feathers that scattered, a small bird zipping past him. A little sparrow, he realized. Wait. "A sparrow?" the man breathed, turning around to find a very familiar girl standing a few feet away.

"RIKKA?" he asked, stunned by what had just happened.

The girl only smiled sheepishly as she responded.

"Heya, Qrow"


	3. 'Uncle' Qrow is Actually What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These next snippets are where i start getting a bit more coherant, and these next 3 i think are actually connected.
> 
> If youre reading this still, thank you and i hope youre enjoying it!

Qrow sighed, taking a sip from his nearly-empty flask. Sitting against a tree staring up at what sky was visible through the leaves, drinking, was probably not the best way to sort his thoughts, but it did drown them for a time. Still, the swirl of words wouldn't quiet. He took another drink. 

It wasn't too much longer before Zwei found him staring into his empty flask, sighing as the dog sat nearby. 

"Tai sent you to check on me, did he? I'm fine. Could use some more in my flask, though."   
Zwei gave him a curious headtilt, then lay down, looking at him.

Qrow sighed again, gaze tilting back to the stars. "Look, pup, I don't need the company, just go back to Tai." Zwei didn't move. "Alright, fine. You don't want to leave. Just don't say I didn't warn you." he laughed bitterly, "My semblence is a curse, always hurting anyone around me. You aren't safe, either, pup." 

Raising the flask to his lips, he tossed in aside as he was reminded it was empty. "Tai and the girls would be heartbroken I'd something happened to you. You really should go." The dog made no move to leave, only scoot a bit closer, looking up at him. A hand found its way to fur, scratching at a fuzzy ear for a few moments.

"I'm so proud of the girls. All of them. Ruby's doing so well in training, Yang's in her last year at Signal, and Rikka... The little Sparrow started at Beacon." A chuckle, "Old Oz got a kick out of her semblance, no doubt. He better be prepared for a few pranks, I can tell you that, pup. Especially with what she's told me about her team. Definitely sound like a handful, and classes only started a month ago." He fell silent for a time, staring into the sky, only speaking again when the wind shook the leaves above, *whooshing* through the branches.

"That's why I left her here. Where she'd be safe, and as far away from my misfortune as I could get her. It hurts, still, seeing her run around with Ruby and Yang, calling Tai 'Dad'. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy she's safe, I know Tai's raised her far better than I ever could have, but.. Her semblence. Her semblence lets her turn into a gods-damned bird. She didn't have a choice. If that isn't the universe mocking me, I don't know what is." 

Silence descended on the two, the dog laying at the human's side, the human staring above as if the vastness there held an answer to all the questions he'd yet to ask. After a while more, Qrow pushed himself up onto slightly unsteady feet, retrieved his discarded flask, and walked back towards the house a little ways away. Once he was out of sight, Zwei began to follow after him, dipping through the shadows. The family pet disappeared. Nothing emerged from the shadows for several long minutes. Then, with a flurry of feathers, a sparrow erupted from the dark, rushing away from the welcoming light spilling from the windows of the house ahead. The family dog watched the bird leave. 

Qrow was in for a storm come morning. 


	4. The Storm, Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. There's a fight scene in here. I'm not the best at fight scenes, and i may have forgotten about aura when i was writing this, so i understand if it's not your favorite, but i still hope you enjoy it for the most part

Sunrise crept into the open windows, illuminating the furry form following in the light's footsteps. There was no movement in the house, only the quiet breathing of the sleeping. Good. If she was lucky, no one would know she never came home last night. 

The soft padding of furry feet made their way through the house, giving way to human footfalls as she reached the living room. Qrow was passed out on the couch, which is what she expected, but right now it just filled her with anger. She forced away the urge to start yelling at him for now; it wouldn't do to wake the rest of the house. She turned towards the kitchen, careful to keep silent as she began making breakfast. 

She was halfway through making a huge stack of pancakes by the time the first person stirred, shuffling their way into the kitchen. "Good morning, Yang" she didn't bother to turn from the stove; she'd started making food, and Yang was usually up around now anyway. 

"Sparra? You're making-"

"PANCAKES!" The yell came from down the hall, followed by Ruby bursting into the kitchen with a flurry of rose petals. 

Rikka smiled softly, "Good morning, Ruby. Yes, little sisters, I'm making pancakes." She ignored Yang's use of the hated nickname; her anger was directed elsewhere for the morning. She added a few more pancakes to the stack, before she turned to face her sisters, who were both sitting at the table and looking at her expectantly. Bringing over the plate of pancakes, she set it down with the syrup, still smiling softly.

Yang and Ruby shared a look once Rikka had turned back to the stove- something was definitely off with her this morning. 

"Sparra? Is something wrong?" Ruby hesitantly asked after a moment.

Rikka didn't answer immediately, hyper focused on pouring more batter into the pan.  
"Nope, nothing's wrong, just felt like making breakfast for everyone," the quiet voice almost devoid of emotion caused the other two to share another look. 

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

"I'm fine, Yang." 

"But-"

"Ruby, didn't you want Yang to help you work on some stances today after breakfast?" Rikka interrupted as a half-asleep Tai walked into the room, her voice going completely emotionless. 

Tai glanced between the three of them, instantly alert. "Good morning you three" 

Ruby and Yang chimed their "good morning", while Rikka stayed silent, working on building a second tall stack of pancakes. 

Yang grabbed Ruby's arm and dragged her outside as Tai walked over to sit at the table. 

"... You want to tell me why you're being so quiet this morning, and also cooking?" Tai asked after a few moments of relative silence. 

Rikka carefully transferred the last pancakes to the stack. "Did you know?" 

"Uh, know what, Ria?" 

" 'Uncle' Qrow?" Rikka moved to set the second plate of pancakes down on the table, doing so a bit more forcefully than necessary. 

"Oh, he had that conversation with you? I thought we were going to do that together honestly"

Rikka stared at him, anger finally showing in her eyes, the tension visible on her. "He didn't," she nearly hissed, turning sharply away from her dad. 

"He didn't? But, then, how..?"

"He didn't tell *me*, He told *Zwei*!" Rikka practically yelled. 

The noise finally stirred Qrow, who groaned as he sat up. "What's with all the noise, some people are trying to sleep."

"Uh, Qrow, you might want to get in here-"

"I DON'T CARE-" 

If the nervousness in Tai's tone hadn't clued him in, then hearing Rikka *yell*, of all things, would have told him something was wrong. 

Qrow pushed himself up off the couch and made his way over to the kitchen table. "Alright, little Sparrow, what's with the yelling?" 

Rikka stood near the stove, arms crossed, angrier than either Qrow or Tai could remember ever seeing her. "What. Do you remember from last night?" 

"What do you mean, little Sparrow, I just sat outside with Zwei for a while, you ran off to your room after dinner." 

The horror slowly dawned on Tai's face as he realized what must have happened the night before. 

Rikka, to her credit, didn't launch herself across the kitchen to slap her 'Uncle', but she did have murder in her eyes as she stared at him. Suddenly, in a poof that scattered tufts of fur, Zwei was standing where Rikka had been. He walked over to Qrow and sat in front of him.   
Qrow stared. Zwei turned back into Rikka, standing right in front of her 'Uncle'.   
  
"Answers. Now."

"Since when have you been able to-"

"Since yesterday morning. Now, Answers."

Qrow sighed and reached for his flask, "Alright, Little Sparrow-"

"Don't. Not right now." the soft voice dripped with restrained venom, flowing thicker the longer she had to wait. 

He sighed again, taking a long drink, "Rikka. What questions are you asking?"

"Explain to me how it is that the one I call 'Dad' and the one I call 'Uncle' are completely opposite of what they should be. Explain to me why you told all of this to the family dog and had yet to mention it to me. Explain to me exactly *when* you planned on telling me!" 

"We... I. Was going to let you settle into Beacon a bit more before I told you. And, I didn't tell the family dog, now did I, or I don't think we'd be having this conversation right now. And... I said the reason last night. My semblence brings misfortune to all around me. When you were left at my doorstep, yes, I first went to Tai. He agreed to raise you as his own, and..i thought it best I just play the uncle for as long as I could."

"Why? Why wait so long to tell me this? Why did I have to *drag* it out of you?" Rikka turned her piercing gaze on Tai, who had been trying to inch his way out of the kitchen during the argument. "Nope. Get back in here, you have just as many questions to answer." The venom in her voice was significantly less now, but her anger still bubbled through. Tai stood just inside the kitchen and sighed.

"I really think this is between you and Qrow, right now, Rikka"

"Nope. You have a question to answer," she turned back to Qrow, "After *you* finish answering me." 

"I didn't want to distract you from your training."

That was a lie, and she was pretty sure everyone in this room knew it. It was a half-formed excuse to avoid the truth. And it pissed her off to no end. "Bullshit." 

Both adults stared at her like she'd grown an extra head.

"Rikka. Language." Tai's voice turned stern, though he wilted under the rage in his 'daughter's' face when she spared another second to look at him. 

"It's alright,Tai."

"Why not tell me during a break, then?"

Qrow's attention was back on her, "You were still training. It's a little hard to talk to you when all you-" 

Rikka had had enough of this dancing around and stalling. Without really thinking, she pressed a button on the gauntlet cuffs she hadn't had time to take off yet, and let one of her blades slide into her hand. 

And slammed the point into the wooden table inches from Qrow.

"Stop stalling and offering half-truths. Tell me, right now, why you were so reluctant to tell me all this." 

Qrow's eyes narrowed as he met Rikka's, "Sparrow. Catch yourself, or this is getting moved outside."

"Rikka, Qrow! Hold on a second here! Let's just all take a deep breath an-" 

"Tai, silence is your best bet right now" Qrow advised, not taking his eyes off Rikka, waiting to see which option she'd take.

Rikka stood her ground for a half a second more, before yanking her blade out of the table and stepping back. She didn't say a word, only reattached the blade to her gauntlet as she turned toward the doorway. Tai watched as Rikka smoothed the anger from her features, seemingly back in control of herself. And then she turned to look at Qrow over her shoulder. 

"I don't want to catch myself this time," The words barely had sound to them, wouldn't had been heard, had Qrow not been looking at her. 

Rikka turned back towards the doorway, silently slipping through the front door, leaving it open for Qrow to follow. 

"Dammit!" Qrow swore under his breath, before walking out the kitchen to retrieve his weapon, continuing out the door once he'd grabbed it. 

"Whoa, wait, hold on you two!" Tai called after them, racing outside.

Ruby and Yang were outside playing with Zwei when Rikka and Qrow stormed out the door. 

They watched, confused and curious, as the two walked a little ways away and stood facing each other, weapons in hand. 

When Tai came running out, desperately trying to stop the two from sparring, the two younger girls ran over to their father.  
Tai gave up after a moment, once Rikka and Qrow took their stances, readied their weapons, ignoring him. He gestured to the girls to follow him over nearer to the house. 

"Uh, Dad? What's going on?" Yang asked, eyeing her uncle and older sister. 

"uh. Well, you see, Rikka's a bit angry at Qrow right now, and they're just. Going to work a few things out." Tai laughed a bit nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

At that moment, they heard the sound of weapons clashing, and looked over just in time to see Rikka leap backwards from Qrow, his sword raised in a block. Qrow stayed where he was, expression calm as he looked at Rikka. "I know you can hit harder than that, so why are you holding back? You wanted this fight, so act like it, *Little Sparrow*," the nickname was mocking in that moment, and it did exactly what Qrow had wanted it to do. The anger surged back into her expression, and she lunged forward again, metal claws arching through the air to be blocked once more by the flat of a blade. Qrow smirked, "Still not everything."

"...This isn't good.." Tai mumbled to himself as he watched his daughter and brother shifting an anger-burning sparring session into an actual fight. 

"Uhm, Dad. Rikka actually looks like she wants to murder Uncle Qrow; what the heck happened?" Yang questioned, eyeing the fighting pair as Qrow took a swipe at Rikka that she barely avoided, jumping to the side just in time to feel the path of it against her arm. 

"I think that's a conversation for when everyone's calmed down," Tai said simply, eyes not leaving the fight. Yang looked like she wanted to challenge that, but Ruby grabbed her arm then, and she reached over to hug her younger sister. Questions later, hope that neither relative actually hurt each other right now it was, then. 

  
Rikka leapt backwards again as her feet touched the ground, stilling as she put some distance between them. The grin on his face was infuriating, and the words that next fell out of his mouth nearly had her lunging for his throat.

"I've yet to move from my spot, Little Spar-" he barely managed to dodge the blade headed for his throat, leaning to the side as it rushed past. By the time he focused back on Rikka, she was halfway to him, another blade leaving her hand. It was aimed at his chest, and he easily blocked it with his sword. A sharp pain at the side of his leg caused him to glance down, notice the tear in the cloth. Just before he got a face full of dirt and grass.

Cursing, he wiped at his eyes, alert for the sound of an incoming attack. An attack that didn't come, Rikka was nowhere by the time he could see again. He looked around, spun to see behind him, saw nothing, no one besides Tai and his girls. He scanned the shadows of the house once more, came up empty as his instincts yelled for him to spin back around. He did so in time to spot a sandy-orange cat barreling towards him, leaping forward. He started to side-step, but was pulled off balance as- as *Rikka* hooked her metal claws around his sword, using her momentum to try and yank the weapon from his hands. 

It didn't quite work, but she hadn't expected to get the weapon. She only wanted him off balance, using the seconds she had to try sweeping his feet out from under him. That- that also didn't work, and the first words to fall from her mouth since leaving the kitchen were a few choice curses. 

"Watch your language, Sparrow," Qrow admonished, sword aiming for her side. 

Rikka met the sword with her claws, batting away the blade and stepping closer to Qrow, "Why?" She practically hissed, glaring.   
Qrow gave her the slightest headtilt, accompanied by an amused smirk. 

"You wouldn't want your sisters to hear that, now would you?" 

Words left her as the rage flashed in her eyes once more. Shoving herself away from him, she fired the crossbow on her arm. Qrow simply blocked it with the flat of his blade, and leapt after her. 

She met each of his swings with her own, the ring of metal-on-metal resonating through the field as each backward step brought the pair closer to the trees. Once she deemed it close enough, she dodged his next strike completely, a diagonal step backwards, into the safety of the shadows. Qrow rushed after her, and Rikka grinned. 


	5. The Storm, Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is a continuation of the previous chapter snippet, bc honestly that last one is long enough to actually be a chapter and then some. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

"Should..should we go after them?" Ruby asked worriedly, turning to her dad. Yang was also looking at Tai, just as concerned about her older sister and uncle as Ruby. Tai sighed after a moment.

"No, we wouldn't really be able to stop them at this point, anyway." He just hoped Qrow realized he wasn't making this entire thing any easier for himself. 

  
Qrow, now stopped in a familiar clearing, was focused on the sounds around him, listening for Rikka. She'd almost immediately disappeared into the trees, and he hadn't been able to spot her yet. "Come on, little Sparrow, you can't be done fighting me yet."

A flutter of wings. Qrow glanced to the right, waiting. The blow came from the left, blades digging into his shoulder before he could react. He grimaced, following the momentum to catch sight of Rikka, rage in every inch of her being, the corners of her mouth turning up in something of a smile.

Dread sunk in, as doubt began worming into his thoughts. Maybe pissing her off _more_ had been a mistake. His plan might just be backfiring on him, right now, tossing her ever closer to actually hating him, rather than letting the anger run its course. He steered himself away from that trail, shifting his grip on the hilt of his sword. He was too far in now to think of backtracking. 

"Oh? Did I actually catch you off guard? Think I'd make more mistakes because I'm angry?" the whisper of her mocking tone just barely reached him as her terrifying smile grew wider, "you've stepped foot into my favorite terrain, and I'm pissed enough to use every inch. So, my dear 'Uncle', _fight me._ "

Both people stood still, one tense stance glaring at a more relaxed one. Complete silence fell upon the clearing, the animals stopping to gather and watch just out of their sight. There was no movement as they watched each other, searching for a sign, a split second of distraction. Nearly a minute passed before either moved. Rikka raised her crossbow, and Qrow shifted just enough to allow his sword to become a scythe. A few seconds more, and Qrow was charging towards Rikka, dodging the bolts sent his way. She tried to twist and dodge out of the way of the scythe, forgetting for a moment the extent of the weapons reach, and felt the blade bite into her side. 

For a split-second, as she stumbled back, she thought she saw shock flit across his face, like he hadn't expected to touch her. It was gone by the time she found her balance again, if the emotion had even been there in the first place. She studied him as he lunged forward once more, turning aside in time to watch the curved point glide through the air. A fraction of a second later, Rikka had the blade caught between her own, twisting and yanking the handle from Qrow's hand as the aftershock loosened his grip. The scythe went skidding across the grass, stopping at a tree several feet behind her. She turned toward Qrow, anger burning in her eyes, and an eerie grin once more flashing across her features.

She was met with a fist, feeling the air rush by her face as she jerked her head to the side. Qrow was the one grinning now, something condescending in the look he gave her, "Have you forgotten who first taught you how to fight with your fists?" She blocked his next punch, only to be hitting the ground a second later as he sweeped her feet out from under her, "Or how to play unfair?"

Rikka hurried to get her feet back under her, the rolling dodge not quite enough to save her from a few more well-aimed punches meant to keep her down. More successful on the next couple blocks, she was finally able to stand again, and immediately lunged forward, the punch hitting Qrow in the nose, making him stumble a step. Then, he was the one on the ground, as she used the same moves he'd used on her to knock him down. 

"I haven't forgotten," She brought her fist back, a sliver of sunlight glinting off the metal of her weapon as the blades slid from their sheathe on her arm. A few little scratches on his face wouldn't hurt him too much, and, well, it'd be so _satisfying_ right now. 

"I was scared," Qrow's voice, soft and broken, stopped the points inches from his cheek.   
She stared at him, "What?"

"I was scared," he sighed, closing his eyes for a moment before continuing, "I didn't know what to do, with myself most days, let alone a _baby_." Rikka lowered her arm, sheathing her claws. "I was terrified of what horrible thing my semblance would drag you into, what could happen to you if you stayed around me too long....Rikka, I'm sorry I kept this from you." She stayed silent for quite a while, standing over Qrow while he looked at her with utter defeat, the emptiness of the woods around them ringing loud. 

"I think I've gotten too used to everyone calling me Sparrow; hearing my actual name is almost jarring now, " she finally said, holding out a hand to Qrow. Once he was back on his feet, she started walking back towards the house, but stopped after a few steps. "I'm still upset at you, and it probably would have been better for both of us if you had just said that to begin with, but I'm done fighting you." She continued walking, zig-zagging through the trees to retrieve her daggers. Qrow walked over and picked up his weapon, sheathing it before slowly heading for the house. 


	6. What Else Did You Expect?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These snippet updates are gonna be really sporadic, just going to warn you all.
> 
> Enjoy this new bit though!

Ivory knew Sparrow had a tendency to disappear every now and then, hell, she did the same thing. It was a way to unwind, feeling the wind under their wings. When her best friend had still been gone come morning, however, she knew something was wrong. A day, most of a night, maybe, but Sparra was always slinking back inside by sunrise. It might just be that she was still thinking through whatever had made her run in the first place, but even then, Ivory knew she needed to find Sparra before the team leader got too far stuck in a spiral of thoughts. How to do that _without_ alerting their other two teammates though? 

She...probably wouldn't be able to, now that she thought about it a bit. All three of them were in their dormroom still, since it was Sunday. Ivory checked her scroll again, sighing when she still had no message from Sparrow. She sent another " _Are you okay?"_ to her, hoping that maybe her friend had simply overslept and hadn't seen her frantic set of messages that she'd originally sent just after sunrise when she'd first seen the empty bunk below her.

"What's the sigh for, Ivory? You said earlier that it wasnt unusual for Sparrow to be gone all night," Freya said from her desk, still reading from her textbook when Ivory glanced at her. 

Ivory sighed again, "What's unusual is that she's normally back by sunrise, and," Ivory gestured to the window, where the midmorning sun shone bright, "she's still not back, hasn't even replied to any of my messages."

"Alright, let's go look for her, then," Natalie chimed, swinging down from the top bunk on the other side of the room with ease. Freya tilted her head towards the blue-haired girl with a glance, agreeing with her.

Ivory eyed them both, hesitant. "I... Really appreciate it, but she might just be trying to think through a few things..I don't actually know if she'd even want _me_ to bother her right now" 

Freya stared at her for a moment, "Ivory, i don't know if you've realized this yet, but you're her best friend, and I swear she brightens every time you walk back into the room. I don't think she'll actually tell you to go away."

Ivory looked to the floor, "She has before," she just managed to whisper through the memory. There was silence, and she could feel the other two Faunas' eyes on her.

"Obviously she didn't mean it, or you two still wouldn't be as close as you are," Natalie broke the silence after a few minutes, pulling her out of her head just in time to catch the shoes being tossed her way. Freya was pulling on her own shoes, and Natalie was already waiting by the door. "Come on, we're helping you look for her, where does she normally like to hide?" 

Ivory blinked at them a few times, a little surprised they were so ready to help her. Finally moving to slip on her shoes, she took a second to think. "...the forest.." 

"Of course she would" Natalie said with a sigh. 

Freya rolled her eyes, not all that surprised. "Alright, out the door then, everyone" 

~~~

Sparrow felt the wind stir, the gentle gust searching, brushing past her cheeks as she heaved in a few precious breaths in the handful of seconds she had bought herself. She knew the feel of that wind well, and if she'd had the breath to spare, she would have sighed. Of course her childhood friend had come looking for her. It _was_ hours past sunrise at this point, and she always tried to get back by the time the sun cleared the horizon. 

She spun to the left as she heard the sound of crunching underbrush, followed by a low growling, raising a gauntlet and firing a bolt from it without pause, turning to catch bright white claws against her own metal ones. Her left hand flashed up to blind the beast in front of her as her right shoved the black paw away. The roar of pain gave her just enough warning to leap up in a flurry of feathers before a blind swipe slashed the air where she'd been. She quickly spiraled up above the flailing beowolf, then dove for its neck, metal claws slicing through just in time for her to land, stray feathers from her diving transformation slowly falling around her.

The beast from before came barrelling into the clearing, the arrow she'd shot now lodged in its right eye, the faint trickle of shadow curling up and away from the wound. Sparrow leapt back a foot, crossbow raised and firing a shot before she'd fully landed. Or, she would have, if she'd had any bolts left. She cursed loudly and took to the air again, diving for the beast's neck, trailing feathers. 

Before she could complete the move, a dagger flew out of the trees, imbedding in the grimm's shoulder. The beast jerked its head towards the source just in time for her to feel metal harmlessly slide past the hard skin of her target. She stumbled into her landing hard, the interruption of momentum she had been expecting to catch her not present. 

In the few seconds it took her to regain her balance, an arrow found its way to the beowolf's other eye, effectively blinding the grimm. Her team practically flew into the clearing after the arrow, weapons ready. Ivory stood at the treeline, arrow knocked and ready to shoot. Freya swept past partly into the clearing, daggers twirling between the fingers of her left hand, a deceptively-delicate-looking fan in her right. Natalie charged the blinded grimm, slashing at it with her bladed staff, dancing out of the way of razor sharp claws with ease. 

The second she realized Natalie wasn't doing any real damage, she lunged, slipping under a raised paw just in time to- barely graze the grimm's neck as her foot caught on something and she went tumbling, aura flaring and flickering when she came to a stop. A growling yelp rang out a second later, drawing her attention back to the fight in the middle of the clearing. Natalie was just pulling one of her swords from the head of the beowolf, the other blocking claws from slashing her shoulder. The flickering black dust trickled, then streamed into the air as the beast fell over, the gecko faunas stepping back to avoid being knocked off-balance. 

Sparrow blinked and then Ivory was kneeling in front of her, concern and relief flashing across her features. 

"Sparrow! Are you hurt? How long have you even been out here? _Why_ were you out here?" Her hands hovered near her shoulders, as if afraid to touch her. Natalie stepped up beside Ivory, carefully eyeing Sparrow as she responded.

"Ives, I'm fine, just a few bruises; my aura's still up, _feathers._ " the last word fell from her mouth more akin to a curse, a little joke between the two of them. She cast her gaze to the ground, however, as she continued, "...You know how long i've been gone, I came out here to think a bit."

"And you thought sneaking out to the forest, in the middle of the night, to sort your thoughts was a _good_ idea?" 

"...I never said i thought it through."

Ivory groaned, "Why did i expect anything different? You absolute idiot, how long had you been fighting by the time we found you?"

"You don't want to know the answer to that, i'm surprised I'm still conscious right now, though."

"Let me guess, you haven't slept at all?" Freya asked, slipping to her side with a few intact crossbow bolts in her hand. 

Sparrow was sure her silence offered the answer, and, from the way Ivory was looking at her, she guessed the second they all got back to the dorm, her best friend was going to make her lay down whether she wanted to or not. She sighed, "Okay, okay, i get it, i was really stupid, can we just go back to the dorm now?" 

"Can you stand?" Natalie questioned, holding out a hand to help her up should she need it. Which she kind of did, since her entire body was beginning to feel like jelly now that the adrenaline was fading and the exhaustion was kicking in. She even swayed on her feet a bit, when she finally managed to actually stand. 

"How in the world is your aura not gone right now?" The curious tone in Natalie's voice almost drown out the surprised one. Almost.

Ivory answered for her, moving her arm over her shoulders so she could help steady her, "She is one tiny mistep from her aura breaking, trust me."

"You sound like you say that from experience," Natalie said with a raised eyebrow, moving to Sparrow's other side, while Freya lead them, eyes scanning the forest around them.

"Plenty of it, unfortunately. Let's get back, and I'll tell as many 'Sparrow being an idiot' stories as you can handle." 

"Ives, you wouldn't dare. At least half of them involve you also doing questionable things." Sparrow cut in, horrified by the idea her best friend just proposed.

"I would because there's still plenty that *don't* involve me."

"Feathers, Ives, _feathers_ " 

"That's not going to stop me."

An exhausted sigh was the only thing she could manage, resigned to the teasing she'd receive once any one of the possible stories were told.


	7. If We're Gonna Be Stupid, We're Doing It Together

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want me continue particular snippets, let me know! I'll try my best to follow up where i can!
> 
> Also, Geo, thank you for sitting with me while i write these!
> 
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy!

"Remind me why we're sneaking through Beacon Tower at one in the morning, again?" Freya asked from the shadows, following her giddy team mates as they all slowly made their way as high as they could go. 

"Because you and Natalie haven't flown before!" Sparrow replied, grin evident in her tone. 

"Exactly! Natalie is always trying to climb things anyway, so we figured we'd give her a taste of what its like in the sky," Ivory was smiling softly at Sparrow, clearly amused. 

"Plus, Nat wouldn't agree without you coming, too! So, you both get to taste freedom tonight!" 

Freya barely managed to stop the laugh that bubbled up at that statement. "'Taste freedom'? Really, Sparrow?"

"Yes, really! You'll see!"

"Mhm, I guess I will."

Sparrow took a moment to bounce on her toes, grinning at all three of them before continuing. 

~~

Finally, after an excruciatingly long trek through the tower, they reached the highest point they could walk to, slipping back into the night air with excited relief. Natalie bounded a few steps, arm snagging around Freya to pull her closer to the wall jilust to the side of the door.

Freya let out a quiet, surprised, yelp at the motion, staring at her partner. "Natalie, what are you doing?" 

"We're not high enough, Frey!"

"Natalie, we're as high as we can go!" 

" Three of four can go higher, and this time we're taking you with us," Sparrow interrupted, the mischeivious grin and glint in her eyes making Freya second-guess this entire idea.

"And, how exactly are all of us going _higher_? This is the highest platform on the tower!"

"There's still the roof," Ivory spoke up, her own grin nearly matching Sparrow's, if a little more toned down.

"There's still- The roof isn't a place to stand!!"

"Aw, come on, Frey! We just need a foothold for a few minutes tops! It'll be okay!"

Before Freya could continue to protest, Ivory spoke again, "Sparra made sure there was enough space and traction to stand up there earlier."

Freya stared at her and Sparrow. "How long have you been planning this?"

The two childhood friends shared a look before replying in unison, "Weeks!"

Freya sighed, glancing at a very excited and hopeful Natalie, "Alright, fine, how do we get to the roof?"

"Okay, so Nat said she should be able to shrink you enough with her semblance that she can carry you while she climbs up the side. Ives is gonna use her semblance to help her get into the air and watch you two to make sure you don't fall or anything- not that we don't trust your ability to climb, Nat! Just.. Just to make sure nothing happens! And I'll take flight and kinda keep a look out to make sure no one sees us while we all get to the roof!"

Freya sighed again, but nodded; this plan was a bit crazy, but it wasn't nearly as crazy as some of the other things she'd heard the shifter and faunus duo come up with.

"Okay, let's get onto the roof," she replied, drawing closer to Natalie. 


	8. Birds' Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, Heres part one of this little fluff bit that ive been sitting on for aver a month now, so take this and the next part will be out whenever the fluff inspiration hits again.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Sparrow slipped through the hallway, keeping as quiet as she could in the early morning light barely peeking in through the windows. She and Ivory finally had a few days off, and she planned to make the most of it. Starting with making breakfast for her partner- her _wife_ , Sparrow grinned in the silence. 

Tiptoeing into the kitchen, and carefully making her way to the window, she flipped open the blinds so she could see enough without having to turn on a light. It was a habit she'd had for years now, product of sneaking in with the hints of sunlight, not wanting to alert anyone she was awake yet (or hadn't, in fact, even slept, but that rarely was the case). Now that she could see just enough to start cooking, Sparrow moved about with as much steath as she could manage to gather the ingredients. Cinnamon, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, bread, and the special ingredient soon had been lined in a semi-circle around a square bowl next to the stovetop. She knelt to sift through the pans they tended to shove in the corner cabinet, wincing and glancing towards the doorway, listening for the sounds of her love shuffling out of their bedroom every time the pans bumped and banged together. 

Finally, she found the pan she was looking for- the small non-stick pan she favored for the rare mornings she cooked breakfast. Pulling out the pan, however, caused a few of the pans that had been hiding it to topple out and onto the floor with several, loud, _clangs_. Sparrow flinched and looked to the doorway as she heard the sleepy voice of Ivory call out for her.

"Ri? Where are you, what was that?"

"Kitchen, Ive," she responded, a bit guiltily, as she put the fallen pans back, and set the one she did need on the stove. She stood and moved to meet her wife at the kitchen doorway, embracing her with a gentle smile. Ivory nuzzled into the embrace with a sleepy mumble, wings shifting behind her as she did. Sparrow turned her head just enough to plant a kiss on her forehead.

"Good morning, love. Sorry I woke you."

"mmm, Morning. Were you gonna make something?" came the reply, mumbled into her shoulder.

Sparrow nodded, "Yep! I was gonna make you breakfast." 

"Not pancakes, I hope?" her partner teased.

"Ives, i make amazing pancakes, and i am able to make them without being angry, you know." 

"I know, Sparra," Ivory hummed, lifting her head to give Sparrow a soft kiss. "I'll help you cook, if you want?"

Sparrow smiled warmly at her, "We both know you need coffee first, love," She gently stepped away from her partner to quickly get coffee brewing.

"Are you going to have any this morning?"

Sparrow turned to her ingredients, cracking the eggs into the bowl as she answered, "It's a day off, so i figured i'd join you today, yes."

"You make it sound like you weren't going to sit down with me," came the half-hearted tease.

"I planned on waking you after i had the food cooked and coffee brewed, but i did plan on drinking coffee with you, love. Sorry, again, that i woke you,"

"Sparra, dear, you know given ten more minutes, i would've woken up anyway."

"Ten more minutes you could've slept. You were out practically the second we got in the door last night. You would have, however, still been up within fifteen minutes if i hadn't gone to bed immediately as well, i know,"

Ivory hummed an agreement, and they settled into a comfortable silence as they waited for the coffee to brew. Sparrow managed to get all the ingredients, minus the bread, mixed together just as the coffee finished. She grabbed two mugs and poured them both a cup, adding a little sugar and some flavored creamer to her own cup, and leaving the other black. Taking both cups with her, Sparrow sat next to Ivory, setting her wife's coffee in front of her with a soft trilling sound to get her attention. 

Ivory wrapped her hands around the cup, almost curling into the warmth. She did curl a wing around Sparrow as she snuggled into her side. "Thank you, dear Sparra" She said into the rim of the cup.

"You're welcome, love."

Several blissful minutes of silence and warmth followed, Sparrow quietly delighting in watching her wife slowly become more alert with each sip she took. 

**Author's Note:**

> So here's some basic info about the team in case i forget to mention it at any point:
> 
> Rikka 'Sparrow'
> 
> So Rikka's semblence lets her turn into any animal she sees.  
> Rikka is older sister to Yang and Ruby.  
> Her favorite animal form is a sparrow.  
> Her weapon is those gauntlet claw things, and either a bow or detachable dagger blades for a ranged option for her. 
> 
> Ivory is a bird faunus. She has white wings.  
> Ivory's semblence is manipulation of wind currents.  
> Her weapon is a bow that can turn into a sword.
> 
> Natalie is a gekko faunus! She has scaly handsies and can make her fingertips all sticky and climb a whole bunch of stuff she shouldn't.  
> Her semblence is the ability to shrink or grow and her weapon is a bowstaff that can separate into twin swords. 
> 
> Freya the fox faunus is far more perceptive than anyone gives her credit for, mostly due to her semblance that lets her manipulate shadows to hide her, and also she's just really perceptive. she has fox eyes.  
> Her weapon of choice is a hand fan/dagger


End file.
